Get early dose of spring by forcing trees and shrubs to bloom indoors

View full sizeWait for a mild day to cut stems of magnolias if you want to force blooming indoors.Lisa DeJong, Plain Dealer file

It will be a while before gardening season arrives, bringing home-grown flowers to soothe winter-weary eyes. But if you're going through growing withdrawal, the answer is right outside your door.

Forcing branches cut from flowering trees and shrubs in your yard to bloom indoors during winter is one way to banish the "I need to grow something" blues.

"It's [forcing blooms indoors] is a good activity for now because it reminds us that spring is coming," says Jeff Griff, owner of Lowe's Greenhouses & Gift Shop in Chagrin Falls. "This is something you can do to feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel."

What's more, you needn't be a gardening guru to get blooms going. Writes Marie Iannotti in one of her About.com gardening guru columns, "Forcing spring bloomers is an easy task. The hardest part is probably getting yourself outside in the cold, snowy weather."

If one of these lovelies graces your yard, with some TLC you can enjoy its color andscentwhile gazing out on your frozen, snow-covered landscape. And don't worrythat cutting branches could make for a sparser tree or bush.

"If you take a branch here and a branch there, you won't notice any difference in the spring," says Griff.

As for when to cut, according to Iannotti, many spring-flowering trees and shrubs require a period of cold dormancy in order to bloom. By mid-January, most spring bloomers have had sufficient cold to allow forcing them into bloom indoors.

Says Griff, "Typically, you don't want to cut branches when it's 10 degrees. You want to do it when it's closer to the freezing point so that water is moving through the plant."

A few shrubs and trees, such as crab apple, beauty bush, magnolia, redbud and spirea, require a longer dormancy and do better if you wait until late February or early March to cut branches, writes Iannotti.

It's best to cut branches on a relatively warm day. If that's not possible and the branches are frozen, it helps to submerge the entire branch in slightly warm water for a few hours.

When cutting, look for swollen, plump buds. There will be both flower and leaf buds on the stems, but flower buds tend to be rounder and larger than leaf buds. Cut your branches at an angle and be sure you cut them long enough to display.

Don't let the branches dry out. A fresh cut or, better still, smashing the bottoms of your branches gently will make it easier for the branches to take up water.

Be careful where you nurture the cuttings indoors.

"Do not place [vessels holding the branches] in a very warm location," says Griff. "Keep them away from sunny windows, wood stoves and hot appliances."

Iannotti notes that branches need a period of transition to be fooled into thinking it's spring, so place in a cool location, such as the basement.

Cover the branches loosely with a plastic bag, or mist them daily to prevent them from drying out. Check the water in the container daily and change it when it becomes cloudy or discolored, Iannotti advises.

Depending on the type of branch and when you cut it, you should see the buds swell and begin to open within one to six weeks. That's when flowering branches can be moved into sunlight. Pussy willow and forsythia will be the first to open. Also, the closer to their outdoor flowering time you cut the branches, the quicker they will bloom.

The Ohio State University Online website has several articles on forcing blooms. Go to ohioline.osu.edu. In the search option on the left, type "forsythia force bloom." You can also access the information via the Master Gardeners of Cuyahoga County's website at cuyahogamg.org. Go to the links option.

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